President’s Report 2009

A River Meanders Through It – The Lower Oxtongue

In May of 2008 the Heritage Foundation acquired 80 acres of ecologically significant land containing nearly one half of the Lower Oxtongue River. This scenic part of the Oxtongue River slows and widens as it meanders through the river valley in its approach to the lake.  Over thousands of years the shifting course of the river has left meander scars and oxbow lakes providing habitat for a diversity of plants and wildlife. From the earliest days, this river, easily accessed from the Lake, has been a popular boating and picnic destination for cottagers and tourists. We had been in discussion with the owners of the property over two years and, thanks to our funds accumulated from years of donations from our supporters, we were able to act promptly when we were given the opportunity to acquire it.

Following the purchase we hired Paul Heaven, a wildlife biologist from Glenside Ecological Services, to describe the different eco-sites within the Oxtongue property, conduct a species inventory and discuss the suitability of the property for supporting species at risk. Before the site visit he used topographical maps and aerial photographs to divide the property into five different eco-sites. On the morning of June 18th I accompanied Paul, paddling up the river from the lake. We pulled the canoes up on to a grassy ledge and clambered up the 30 foot river bank to the forest above. The trees here are mainly red pine and white pine with several specimens over 200 years old. The presence of mature and dying white birch and burnt stumps indicates that the area was probably cleared by fire in the early 1900s and that the pines likely survived the blaze.

We made our way east along the top of the river and around a meander scar which we followed as it turned south close to the eastern edge of the property. The end of the scar consists of a broad fen of moss and shrubs scattered with Alder and Tamarack. Following the scar back towards the river it changes from fen to a swamp dominated by a thicket of speckled alder and a quantity of black flies. Two carnivorous plants, the Northern pitcher plant and the Round-leafed Sundew are found here. These plants trap and consume insects to compensate for the lack of nutrient in the soil.

The rest of the day was spent paddling further upstream where the river broadens to form two small lakes as it heads south down the length of the property. Paul was investigating the lowlands along the river; the largest eco-site on the property and can be easily accessed from a canoe. This area was completely cleared by the fire. There are no mature trees and it is dominated by shade-intolerant species like balsam fir and white birch.

By mid-afternoon he had completed his investigations and we paddled back downstream, tired but satisfied. The report from this site visit will serve as a baseline for our understanding of this property and will help us develop a plan for our stewardship.
In addition to the Oxtongue Property, we are responsible for monitoring the Egbert Boothby Property, 47 acres and a mile of shoreline on the lake, and the John Pyke Property, 100 acres of forest off of Brown’s Brae Road.

Annual Meeting at Norway Point

We held our 2008 Annual Meeting on August 16th in the Norway Point Church to honour its centennial. Our Built Heritage Committee selected five buildings, including the church, and presented awards to their owners and representatives. A booklet was produced by Daphne Curtis on the history of Norway Point and a version of this history can be read in this yearbook. This year we also showed an excellent video documentary, put together by Gordon Henderson, about the history of Norway Point. The Foundation has two board members working on the Township Heritage Advisory Committee. As I write this report the process for the first property designation in the Township is near completion and another one is about to begin. These designated properties will then be able to apply under the Heritage Property Tax Relief Program. We applaud the Township Council for demonstrating their commitment to Heritage protection by implementing this program.

Land Conservation Fund

In June of 2008 we launched a campaign to replenish our Land Conservation Fund which was used to purchase the Oxtongue Property. We received over $61,000 in response to this appeal and our total donations for the calendar year came to $91,000. We spend your money wisely and we invest our funds to preserve capital in anticipation of future needs. We now have 85 Life Members, people who have given one-time donations of $1000 or more, and over 250 members who gave more than the $25 membership. We will be acknowledging our donors on our website at www.lakeofbaysheritage.ca. We are grateful to all of you for your confidence in us and we will continue to advocate on behalf of our members for heritage protection.

I would like to acknowledge the hard work of our volunteer Board members.

• Daphne Curtis – Secretary and Chair of Built Heritage
• Don Hogarth
• Jill Langford
• Bruce MacLellan – Past-President and Chair of Natural Heritage
• Simon Miles – Vice-President
• Harriet Muirhead
• Mary Neal – President of LOBA
• Barry Stephens
• Rick Street – Treasurer
• Preston Thom
• Gloria Woodside

The Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation is dedicated to protecting built and natural heritage in our area. Our goal is the long-term protection of these valued assets that are a vital part of our experience at the lake.

Mark McLean, President